Mahabaleshwar

With a lot of excitement and enthusiasm we started our journey to Mahabaleshwar. The plan was simple ... Go there ... Look for some decent accommodation ... If you get one, spend the weekend and return ... else just return home before its dark!
After a 3hrs of drive filled with thrill, excitement etc. we reached Mahabaleshwar. As we had already expected, there was a lot of rush. After all this is the peak season.

We first went to a resort "Ramsukh" ( a friend who had stayed here earlier referred this resort to us). We went to the reception to enquire about a room. I still cant believe what I heard ... "Sir, we have only one cottage available. The rest of the resort is full. For one night stay, the cottage will cost you Rs ..... 17,000/- ONLY!" My God! This is the highest price I have heard till date for one night accommodation. A similar accommodation with similar amenities 'in Singapore' will cost you some 7000/- (INR). I was further shocked to know that 3 out of such 4 cottages were already taken up. Meaning there are people on this planet who believe that the accommodation is worth the price!!! May god help them make sound decisions :-P. Well, we obviously decided to try other hotels/resorts. But before that we decided to check out a famous 'SPOT' in Mahabaleshwar ... Arthur's Seat. The route to Arthur's Seat is really nice ... its as good as a switchback ('Ghaat' as it is called in local language), with dense plantation on both the side and many many blind turns! The climate was good, cooler that Pune. (But the Sun on the top didn't spare us :-( ).

We had a GREAT time at 'Arthur's Seat' spot. We bought some 'Baraf ka gola', some local fruits (ever heard of a small black fruit called 'Tuti' ?). We found a person who would sell you your 'One minute photo' (Now we have one memorable photo of this trip!) The funny thing was that this fellow wont let you stand where YOU wish to stand. It is him to decide which is the best place for a 'Couple Snap' and which is the best place for a 'Family Snap' :-)

After spending time at Arthur's Seat, we returned back to the main Mahabaleshwar city. We didn't find a single hotel who would offer accommodation for some 2000/- All of the hotels had 'Exactly one room available' which would cost some 4000/- bucks. We had a look at the rooms, and concluded that it was definitely not worth the price. Secondly, we were not sure of what to do even if we get an accommodation. I mean, we didn't find anything special as such at Mahabaleshwar :-( So, the plan was SEALED. We were not staying at Mahabaleshwar. So, after lunch, we started back at around 3.15 in the afternoon.

On our way back, we spent almost an hour at Mapro Garden. This is a great place to hang around. Lot of trees, lot of flowers, great sandwich and ice-cream .... its just great.

We left Mapro Garden by 4.15, and reached home in less than 2.5 hours!

So ... here is the conclusive part ....
Except natural beauty, there is nothing in Mahabaleshwar. It is no more a hill station one would like to visit in Summer. Reason is simple ... its not cool anymore, and even if the air is cool, the sun on the top doesn't spare you :-(, the places is crowded, and the accommodation will cost almost 3 times the off season rate.
In my opinion, winter is the best time to visit this place. You will have a pleasant gift left behind by the rains ... greenery! the climate will be really cool and you will surely enjoy walking on the streets even in the afternoon. you will get good accommodation at very cheap price. Thirdly, it will not be crowded at all.

If you have a group of friends .... you can also plan a one day trip to Mapro Garden. I mean, JUST Mapro garden. No need at all to spend efforts,fuel,time going all the way to Mahabaleshwar. Just go to Mapro, spend time there, have food, ice-cream, juices ... and come back!